RLWC2017 Crowd Watch

[East Coast Tiger]

Yes it is.

 

[lockyno1]

Can someone tell me why there aren't any midweek games? A week between games is a long time in a World Cup

 

[adamkungl]

As much as I hate yawnion, but this RLWC should have used the 2003 RWC as the blueprint for the tournament. Look at some of the crowd figures for minnow games at similar stadia we are using:

Argentina V Namibia – Gosford – 17,887

Namibia V Romania – Launceston – 15,457

Fiji V Japan – Townsville – 17,269

Italy V Tonga – Canberra – 18,967

Canada V Tonga – Wollongong – 15,630

Surely, it’s not beyond Rugby League to be getting similar crowds like this to our tournament?

A 90-8 flogging of Romania by the Wallabies drew 48,000 at Suncorp.
Yes it's totally beyond Rugby League at this stage.
Why?
Because Rugby Union fans will go to an international to support the Wallabies or the game as a whole.
While Rugby League fans will sit in the comments sections bitching about minnows, playing victim, and pretending they didn't even know it was on even though they're talking about it.

I think we can turn it around if our international teams are playing well promoted tests every year, getting fans in the gates, creating stories, rather than being thrown together at World Cup time 4 years after everyone has forgotten about what they did last time.

 

[Jim from Oz]

Can someone tell me why there aren't any midweek games? A week between games is a long time in a World Cup

totally agree; yet another utter scheduling fXXX-up!

 

[lockyno1]

totally agree; yet another utter scheduling fXXX-up!

Could have avoided the schedule clashes by putting one game on Wednesday or Thursday...

 

[Jim from Oz]

As I mentioned in the MEDIA WATCH thread, there is another big RLWC write up (a lot of it concerning Lebanon v Poms game) in today's Daily Tele, with – shock – A PRINT AD for Lebanon v Poms … first print ad I've seen for the tournament so far - and I'm talking since the tournament was announced !!!!!

So maybe that will help with ticket sales? Can't fault the Tele for pumping the game up … it even calls it a "blockbuster" game !!!!

 

[adamkungl]

I'm not a fan of midweek games at all.
Sport should be played on weekends.
We sook all year about Thursday games in the NRL and now people want them? fmd
5000 in Canberra becomes 2000 if its a midweek game

As for scheduling clashes - NRL is about the only sporting comp in the world that doesn't have them, and you could argue it's in fact detrimental to the comp.
Stop finding dumbarse reasons to sook

 

[Jim from Oz]

A 90-8 flogging of Romania by the Wallabies drew 48,000 at Suncorp.
Yes it's totally beyond Rugby League at this stage.
Why?
Because Rugby Union fans will go to an international to support the Wallabies or the game as a whole.
While Rugby League fans will sit in the comments sections bitching about minnows, playing victim, and pretending they didn't even know it was on even though they're talking about it.

I think we can turn it around if our international teams are playing well promoted tests every year, getting fans in the gates, creating stories, rather than being thrown together at World Cup time 4 years after everyone has forgotten about what they did last time.

Even more staggeringly, at the 2003 RUWC at the Sydney Football Stadium (all pool games):

Sth Africa v Georgia attendance: 34,308
Georgia v Uruguay attendance: 28,576
Ireland v Namibia attendance: 35,382
Argentina v Romania attendance: 33,673
Scotland v Fiji attendance: 37,137

 

[adamkungl]

Even more staggeringly, at the 2003 RUWC at the Sydney Football Stadium (all pool games):

Sth Africa v Georgia attendance: 34,308
Georgia v Uruguay attendance: 28,576
Ireland v Namibia attendance: 35,382
Argentina v Romania attendance: 33,673
Scotland v Fiji attendance: 37,137

Shows where we're at

 

[Jim from Oz]

I think we can turn it around if our international teams are playing well promoted tests every year, getting fans in the gates, creating stories, rather than being thrown together at World Cup time 4 years after everyone has forgotten about what they did last time.

Totally agree.

Narrative, or "creating stories" , is all important : witness how well attended Kangaroos v GB RL tests were when they played REGULARLY (every 4 years in Oz, every 4 years in GB, i.e. a 3-Test series every 2 years) and played for the RL Ashes.

A RL Ashes series was last played in 2003; now we're going to have two of them played in 2 years running: 2019 and 2020 !

It's all just a complete miss-mash of a schedule …

 

[adamkungl]

Totally agree.

Narrative, or "creating stories" , is all important : witness how well attended Kangaroos v GB RL tests were when they played REGULARLY (every 4 years in Oz, every 4 years in GB, i.e. a 3-Test series every 2 years) and played for the RL Ashes.

A RL Ashes series was last played in 2003; now we're going to have two of them played in 2 years running: 2019 and 2020 !

It's all just a complete miss-mash of a schedule …

It's so important that the 'tier 2' nations are playing for trophies in front of crowds, TV audiences, media rather than hidden away with results only found by digging through social media and forums.

The 3 prior years is more important to the success of a World Cup than any marketing done during.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I'd be pretty happy if the 2 Sydney games got 15k and 25k.
As usual easy for Brisbane to say it supports the Kangaroos when Sydney gets minnow flogging games and Brisbane gets the semi and final.
Love to see what Australia v Lebanon would draw in Brisbane or Melbourne, and we'll get an idea of Canberra's supposed support in 2 days.

No doubt that these days Brissie tends to get quality internationals, but it is quite easy to see why from around 2005 onwards Suncorp became the go to venue for big Kangaroo tests:

Sydney:
2000: Australia v New Zealand – 26,023 – Olympic Stadium
2002: Australia v Great Brittain – 31,844 – SFS
2003: Australia v New Zealand – 30,605 – SFS
2005: Australia v New Zealand – 28,255 – Olympic Stadium
2006: Australia v Great Brittain – 24,953 – SFS
2006: Australia v New Zealand – 27,325 – SFS
2008: Australia v New Zealand – 34,571 – SCG
2008: Australia v New Zealand – 34,157 – SFS
2014: Australia v New Zealand – 25,429 - SFS

Brisbane:
2005: Australia v New Zealand – 40,317 – Suncorp
2006: Australia v New Zealand – 44,191 – Suncorp
2006: Australia v Great Brittain – 44,258 – Suncorp
2007: Australia v New Zealand – 35,241 – Suncorp
2008: Australia v New Zealand – 50,559 – Suncorp
2009: Australia v New Zealand – 37,152 – Suncorp
2010: Australia v New Zealand – 36,299 – Suncorp
2014: Australia v New Zealand – 47,813 – Suncorp
2014: Australia v New Zealand – 32,681 - Suncorp

 

[titoelcolombiano]

As much as I hate yawnion, but this RLWC should have used the 2003 RWC as the blueprint for the tournament. Look at some of the crowd figures for minnow games at similar stadia we are using:

Argentina V Namibia – Gosford – 17,887

Namibia V Romania – Launceston – 15,457

Fiji V Japan – Townsville – 17,269

Italy V Tonga – Canberra – 18,967

Canada V Tonga – Wollongong – 15,630

Surely, it’s not beyond Rugby League to be getting similar crowds like this to our tournament?

Can't argue with you on that. I think they have a system though (due to high demand) that you can't get a ticket to final (and maybe semis) without a group game ticket - this was for the allocation of tickets to the general public only of course. I'm pretty sure that is correct - once you have a group game ticket you go into the draw for a finals ticket. I can't find anything online confirming this but I remember it being the case at the time.

 

[Jim from Oz]

It's so important that the 'tier 2' nations are playing for trophies in front of crowds, TV audiences, media rather than hidden away with results only found by digging through social media and forums.

The 3 prior years is more important to the success of a World Cup than any marketing done during.

totally agree

 

[Springs09]

The reason people say it is because Sydney - which once was assured to sell out internationals from 1908-1970s - has been extremely underwhelming since. The facts speak for themselves.

No, it's been underwhelming for Australian games. The last internationals Sydney have hosted have been Pacific tests and the crowds have been much better than the crap Townville, Cairns and Canberra served up. Sydney hasn't hosted an Australia v England/GB test since 2006 and the last three times they have hosted Aus v NZ the crowds have been better than the last three Australia v England tests at AAMI Park.

 

[yakstorm]

On England v Lebanon;

The Upper Eastern is not, and likely won't go on sale. The Upper Western will be dependent on what Members turn up.

So whats the total capacity with the Upper Levels removed?

On the Bays that are available, most are doing the 'double line seats' to spread the crowd out. There is just no hard sign that the crowd will be approaching 20,000 at this stage otherwise we would have some the Bays actually sold out.

Each of the Upper Bays holds around 8K each, which once you take out Corporates, etc, leaves around 27,000 seats in the lower bowl (It's quite a large lower bowl).

For this one, it is interesting that Bays 21, 23, 28, 29, 30, 40 and 41 have all been taken off sale as Cat Cs. Not sure if that is because they had been selling really well, or if they are just forcing people to the sides more... Looking at the other Cat Cs there is minimal capacity left in most of them, which is implying the cheap tickets are definitely popular for this game and that the ends on TV should look pretty good on TV.

On the TV arc side, the Cat As are looking pretty full as well, whilst the Cat Bs are untouched. I'm feeling the Cat A's on the opposite side have just had minimal tickets released, which is why there is limited seats on sale... interesting they jumped from having Bays 14 & 15 on sale to now 11 & 12. Implies that there will be a scattering of people on this side, plus whatever freebies / sponsor sales they've given out.

Lower Bowl at Canberra is filling quite nicely... looks like they're not bothering with the upper tiers, which will possibly cap out this game at around 15K-18K max, which is very unambitious.... but seems to be a theme of the tournament... at least they are selling the whole lower bowl and not just one side.

Waikato is looking very healthy... largest crowd for these two nations is 15,225 at Parramatta Stadium... you would have to think that they are a real chance of beating this with a good walk up.

Christchurch is around 9-10K sold from what you can see... Again all the Cat C's are gone... Cat A's look great on one side, and pretty average on the other.

 

[Burns]

Look,

Who wants to see Australia v New Zealand for the 10000000000 time?

 

[Raiderdave]

As much as I hate yawnion, but this RLWC should have used the 2003 RWC as the blueprint for the tournament. Look at some of the crowd figures for minnow games at similar stadia we are using:

Argentina V Namibia – Gosford – 17,887

Namibia V Romania – Launceston – 15,457

Fiji V Japan – Townsville – 17,269

Italy V Tonga – Canberra – 18,967

Canada V Tonga – Wollongong – 15,630

Surely, it’s not beyond Rugby League to be getting similar crowds like this to our tournament?

it is when the eligibility rules make ours a laughing stock
no one seems to appreciate the damage this does to the cred of our world cup

 

[lockyno1]

Best thing for the WC would be if England make the final. Ashes cricket is on, so you'll get a few of the travelling Poms going to the final.

 

[Springs09]

it is when the eligibility rules make ours a laughing stock
no one seems to appreciate the damage this does to the cred of our world cup

Yeah you're right, I guess that's why the Tongan team full of switchers is getting no support and everyone turned out to see the domestic players from USA on Saturday night.

RUWC gets big crowds because it's seen as a world-class event, similar to the FIFA World Cup. People who don't support sport at all turn up, just like they do to Origin and the GF. We saw a little bit of this event status at the 2013 RLWC, with big crowds in Cardiff, London and Manchester and sold out smaller stadiums for minnows. In Australia the RLWC is seen as an extension of the NRL except my team isn't playing.